Many things make a website work:
how it loads, how it looks, how it functions, how it searches. At DevineDesign.com, here are some of the website rules we try to follow when creating websites for clients in the Hudson Valley, and beyond.

What’s the Purpose?
Foremost, good web design meets the needs of the user. Are you looking for information, to buy something, to learn something, to hire someone? Each page of your website needs to have a clear purpose.

What Are You Saying?
Make no mistake, these days people want information quickly. It’s more important than ever to make your information easy to read and understand. We like to use bullet points, short paragraphs and hide/show toggles instead of long sentences.

Navigation
Navigation is key for us. Simple, easy, clear. We try to follow the three click rule, which means users can find the information they want in no more than three mouse clicks.

Can I Find You?
You want to be on page one of a Google Search for your specific service or services and geographic area. We work to help our clients get there by adding content that matters and searches well. What good is a beautiful website if it can’t be found?

Updates and Changes
Your site has to change regularly for Google, Bing and Yahoo to index and rank you correctly. A site that does not have regular updates containing useful, keyword-thoughtful articles will tank. Adding News or Blog is the easiest way to add good content that matters to your visitors and helps your site search effectively.

What’s Your Face?
For body copy, we typically use sans serif fonts, at 14-16 points. We recommend using no more than two to three different fonts.

Color
White space is very effective at giving your website a modern and uncluttered look. We love color, but rarely use it as a page background, as it’s harder to read and won’t print nicely. A distinctive color, used tastefully, is a great feature to make your site stand out.

I’m Waiting…
No one likes a website that takes ages to load. Compress, reduce and simplify or your visitor will click away… probably forever.

Smart Phone, Tablet, Laptop, Desktop
If your website is mobile friendly, it will be seen by more people. We create responsive websites that automatically adjust to different screen widths, devices, and sizes. Without this, you’re going to lose a big chunk of your potential audience.

Nice and Neat
We love grids. It makes everything look neat and clean. Plus, it makes changes and updates much easier.

Socialize!
Facebook, YouTube and to a lesser degree Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest REALLY help your site get found. I know, it may seem like a pain, but it’s worth it. And remember, they are free. So just do it. Or call on a pro to help you. We offer this service.

WordPress
We’ve said it before, but we find that WordPress works. It’s easy to update, searches well, looks great and is constantly updated and improved by WordPress.org, so it helps you stay on top of your game. PLUS, there is no additional fee/cost to WordPress.org. Nice.

Who Do you Love?
Or at least like? You need to find a website designer who you’re happy to work with.
If the firm is too big, you may get lost. If the firm has one standard look, your site may appear cookie-cutter. Too small, and you may wait forever. We typically start and finish a site within a month. That gives us enough time to get to know our client, their work, their needs and more. We snoop around and look at their competitors, what others in the same business are doing right, or wrong. We try to give each client a unique flavor and vibe that matches their business.

Thanks for reading this!
Can we be of service to you and your business? Here is our website quote form. Fill this out and we’ll get back to you asap with a personalized quote for your next website / project.

]]>http://www.devinedesign.net/website-design-hudson-valley-ny/feed/0BNI Rockland County BNI Enterprise Memberhttp://www.devinedesign.net/bni-rockland-county-bni-enterprise-member/
http://www.devinedesign.net/bni-rockland-county-bni-enterprise-member/#commentsSat, 03 Jan 2015 05:55:41 +0000http://www.devinedesign.net/?p=22867BNI Rockland County BNI Enterprise Member
My company has been a BNI® member for over a year now. I've found BNI it helps me find new business and new leads- BUT it also helps me focus on my business in a way I never had time for, previously.

DevineDesign has been a BNI® member for over a year now. We’ve found BNI helps us find new business and new leads- BUT it also helps us focus on our business in a way we never had time for, previously.

BNI® has helped grow our bottom line, and has also helped us meet interesting, like-minded business people throughout the Rockland County area. BNI® has, without a doubt, helped our company make valuable and valued connections.

You’re invited to join us for coffee any given Friday. BNI Enterprise meets at the Nanuet Diner: 120 W Route 59 Nanuet, NY 10954. We meet at 6:50am, we’re done… and out the door by 8:30am. Meetings are efficient and useful. No strings. No pressure.

Bring about 50 business cards, let us know about what you do, and how we can help your business grow!
Any questions, just give me a call.

]]>http://www.devinedesign.net/bni-rockland-county-bni-enterprise-member/feed/0Why is a Mouse Called A Mouse?http://www.devinedesign.net/mouse-called-mouse/
http://www.devinedesign.net/mouse-called-mouse/#commentsSun, 21 Dec 2014 13:52:59 +0000http://www.devinedesign.net/?p=22798When asked who named his most famous invention, Doug Engelbart recalled, “No one can remember. It just looked like a mouse with a tail, and we all called it that.” The wire “tail” originally came out under the user's wrist.

]]>Why is a Mouse Called A Mouse?
When asked who named his most famous invention, Doug Engelbart recalled, “No one can remember. It just looked like a mouse with a tail, and we all called it that.” The wire “tail” originally came out under the user’s wrist.

Doug Engelbart reportedly conceived the mouse during a conference lecture in 1961. His first design, in 1963, used rolling wheels inspired by mechanical area-measuring devices called planimeters invented in the 1800s.

The name “mouse”, was coined at the Stanford Research Institute, derives from the resemblance of early models (which had a cord attached to the rear part of the device, suggesting the idea of a tail) to the common small rodent of the same name.
Douglas Engelbart of the Stanford Research Institute invented the mouse in 1963 after extensive usability testing. Engelbart’s team called it a “bug”, one of several experimental pointing-devices developed for Engelbart’s on-Line System (NLS). The other devices were designed to exploit other body movements, for example, head-mounted devices attached to the chin or nose, but ultimately the mouse won out because of its simplicity and convenience.

The word “mouse” does not appear in Engelbart’s patent for the computer pointing device that became ubiquitous within 20 years. The knife-edged wheels each rolled in just one direction, transmitting movement information for that direction. Each slid without turning when the mouse was moved in the other direction.

]]>http://www.devinedesign.net/mouse-called-mouse/feed/0Blog Posting SEO Rankinghttp://www.devinedesign.net/blog-posting-seo-ranking/
http://www.devinedesign.net/blog-posting-seo-ranking/#commentsSun, 07 Dec 2014 15:09:23 +0000http://www.devinedesign.net/?p=22765 We get calls all the time from business owners looking to improve their SEO or search rankings on their websites. When we talk about adding a blog or news section as part of the plan, people always ask: “Will blog posting really help my SEO ranking?” YES! Yes it will!

Blog Posting SEO Ranking: We get calls all the time from business owners looking to improve their SEO or search rankings on their websites. When we talk about adding a blog or news section as part of the plan, people always ask:

“Will blog posting really help my SEO ranking?”

YES! Yes it will! In fact, blogging, or writing short informative, keyword rich articles, is probably the easiest, most cost-effective way to improve your search rankings. If your site is done in WordPress, like sites by DevineDesign, lucky you! You’re already set up for the best blogging platform around.

Here’s Why
All search engines, including Google, Bing and Yahoo, use algorithms (a fancy term for math) to serve up the most relevant content. Blogs improve your search engine rankings by displaying your company’s expertise through fresh, relevant content that is also keyword rich.

You’re so Fresh!
A website can’t be static. You should think of your website as a living organism that is constantly growing and changing. The downside of this: this organism needs to be fed… often!! In fact, fresh content has become even more important recently. Google changed their algorithm to push fresh content to the top of rankings for many searches. Bingo for you… IF you blog!

A blog is actually kind of stealthy in a number of important ways:

Site Growth, Without Appearing Top Heavy
A blog allows you to grow your site by providing content that wouldn’t otherwise be contained on your site. All the articles go under the heading BLOG or NEWS, so there is no need to add more and more dropdowns to your main navigation menu. It keeps your site clean and simple, but contains a wealth of additional useful information. Our blog features a variety of articles, some just for fun, most of them help get traffic to our website by being useful and informative.

Keywords
One of the ways search engines rank websites is based on the keywords contained in the site. Websites that contain more of the searched keywords will rank higher than similar sites because the algorithms show more relevant content related to the subject. Focus on 1-2 keywords per blog posting.

SEO Bonanza
When customers look for products or services, they will probably start with a web search. “Google it!” is the phrase you hear in our house a half dozen times a day. If your customers find your blog is well written, contains the info they are looking for, and is authoritative, they may stay to read it. Better yet, they may call/email to make a purchase. Sweet.

Links Help SEO Ranking
When search engines crawl the web, one of the things they weigh heavily is the number of external sites linking to your website. External links show that your site is providing helpful, relevant information. A great blog is great link bait that other websites will be inclined to reference. Never buy links, or play the backlink game… these links need to be useful, purposeful and real.

Blogs also serve the critical function of providing internal links to pages that are within your site too. Search engines want to see that your pages reference each other and are coherently tied together. Blogs can reference your product pages, services and other pages that might have been overlooked otherwise.

Blog Posting: How Long, How Often
Most online advice tells you to make blog posts between 400 and 600 words. That’s a pretty easy length to write 2-4 times per month. If you can post more often, great! Evidence indicates that posts longer than 1,500 words gained 68.1% more tweets and 22.6% more Facebook likes on average than shorter ones.

Content plays a significant role in promoting or downgrading your website. The content of your website remains the most important aspect of your SEO strategy. Without high-quality content, no SEO tactic will help you drive organic traffic to your site. So get blogging TODAY!

Need some assistance with blog posting? Email us or call on Devine Design to create a website with a news or blog page to keep your site fresh and worth clicking on!

]]>http://www.devinedesign.net/blog-posting-seo-ranking/feed/0Websites / Projects We’re Working on NOWhttp://www.devinedesign.net/websites-projects-working-now/
http://www.devinedesign.net/websites-projects-working-now/#commentsWed, 19 Nov 2014 21:00:09 +0000http://www.devinedesign.net/?p=22757Websites / Projects We're Working on NOW at Devine Design.
Websites include facelift/ website renewals for the Warwick Historical Society of Warwick NY, Commercial Kitchen Cleaning Inc. of Wayne NJ, Delancey's Bar & Restaurant in Goshen NY, Temple Sinai in Middletown NY, a new site for an Occupational Therapy firm in Orange County NY, Warwick United Methodist Church in Warwick NY, What's Hot Awards in Monroe and New Windsor, and a new site for iRyse Drink, a national beverage launch to name a few.

Websites include facelift/ website renewals for the Warwick Historical Society of Warwick NY, Commercial Kitchen Cleaning Inc. of Wayne NJ, Delancey’s Bar & Restaurant in Goshen NY, Temple Sinai in Middletown NY, a new site for an Occupational Therapy firm in Orange County NY, Warwick United Methodist Church in Warwick NY, What’s Hot Awards in Monroe and New Windsor, and a new site for iRyse Drink, a national beverage launch, to name just a few.

Current graphic projects include an exciting new multi-page corporate brochure for the Shawangunk Wine Trail in Orange and Ulster Counties, NY, a poster, postcard and brochure for Maternal Infant Services Network of Newburgh NY, and a postcard, spec sheets, labels and other collateral materials for Insulation Innovators of Chester NY.

Hudson Valley NY Website Design and beyond. Devine Design specializes in easy to use, nice to look at, fast loading websites that are viewable on any devise: smart phone, tablet, laptop or desktop. Our clients include businesses, organizations, and other types of groups. Our portfolio of websites includes sites constructed for libraries, chambers of commerce, restaurants, small, medium and large businesses, houses of worship, industry, service organizations and many, many more.

No other media can reach potential clients like the web. Fair or not, people make their decisions based on the look/quality of your website. Our website design rates are affordable: the cost of your ENTIRE site is often less than a single ad in some mainstream media.

A website is a smart investment FOR your company, IN your company. Our rates include a lot of extras other firms can’t or won’t offer. <a href=”http://www.devinedesign.net/website-design-rates/”>Please click to see our rates. </a>

Choosing a website design company is a critical decision. Rest assured, we understand that you’re not just putting a project in our hands; you’re entrusting your business to us. At DevineDesign, we work closely with you to create a site that really represents you and works hard for your business. Use this short form for a custom quote on your website project.

]]>http://www.devinedesign.net/hudson-valley-ny-website-design/feed/0Facebook Business Pageshttp://www.devinedesign.net/facebook-business-pages/
http://www.devinedesign.net/facebook-business-pages/#commentsMon, 10 Nov 2014 16:14:46 +0000http://www.devinedesign.net/?p=22717Facebook Business Pages
Facebook is the second most popular website on the internet, right after Google.

That's significant, because people who visit Google are typically looking for information/ to find another website, while Facebook is a place people spend on average twenty minutes per visit. 20 minutes. That's HUGE!

Facebook Business Pages Facebook is the second most popular website on the internet, right after Google. That’s significant, because people who visit Google are typically looking for information/ to find another website, while Facebook is a place people spend on average twenty minutes per visit. 20 minutes. That’s HUGE! As of September 2014, Facebook published these interesting statistics: 864 million daily active users on average for September 2014 703 million mobile daily active users on average for September 2014 1.35 billion monthly active users as of September 30, 2014 1.12 billion mobile monthly active users as of September 30, 2014 Approximately 82.2% of our daily active users are outside the US and Canada

Facebook remains the largest social media service on the internet by a long margin.

If you have a website, a business or a product to sell, you really need to be on Facebook for three BIG reasons: 1) Your content, if changed often, is search engine friendly, 2) The information/feed comes right into the hands of your followers’ phones or screens 3) It’s FREE. 864 million potential customers… for free… that’s NOT a bad deal. If you post short, easy to digest articles that link back to your site, it will help encourage traffic to your website. If you post interesting articles, they will get shared across Facebook, which may get you more followers. If you pay Facebook to boost your posts, you will get more clicks and more people will learn about you.

DevineDesign creates Facebook business pages for business clients for a nominal fee, click here for info. But you can do it yourself, if you have some time and patience. Here’s a great resource of the step by step process, from Elegant Themes. Click here. Every website owner should have a Facebook page for their business or website to engage with their readers. With a Facebook page, you can quickly share news, updates and announcements. Quick is good…free is better.. but 864 million people…dude, that’s simply awesome!

]]>http://www.devinedesign.net/facebook-business-pages/feed/0Small Business Saturday Orange County NYhttp://www.devinedesign.net/small-business-saturday-orange-county-ny/
http://www.devinedesign.net/small-business-saturday-orange-county-ny/#commentsSat, 08 Nov 2014 17:04:07 +0000http://www.devinedesign.net/?p=22684Orange County NY Small Business Owners:
Here's a no-cost, no-strings, little obligation invitation to help promote small businesses across Orange County NY.

On Nov 29, 2014, agree to give-away or raffle off an item of your choice (or more, if you choose) to customers who shop with you that day or that week. No strings, no cost to you. This event is annual, and it's become a great way to encourage people to shop local and increase local revenue.

Orange County NY Small Business Owners:
Here’s a no-cost, no-strings, little obligation invitation to help promote small businesses across Orange County NY.

On Nov 29, 2014, Shop Small Saturday, agree to give-away or raffle off an item of your choice (or more, if you choose) to customers who shop with you that day or that week. No strings, no cost to you. This event is annual, and it’s become a great way to encourage people to shop local and increase local revenue.

Just LIKE our alliance Facebook Page and together let’s help Orange County NY SHOP SMALL! https://www.facebook.com/ShopSmallOrangeCountyNY

Add your biz to our list/ and what you’re offering/ raffling off on Small Biz Saturday. Include: Business name, Address ( if you have a physical address).

Devine Design’s offer: 1000 FREE full color business cards for Small Business Saturday! DevineDesign.com is giving away 1000 FREE full color business cards to an Orange County NY small business who see this post, sends us an email here. Your name goes in a hat, we select the winner on Nov 30.

]]>http://www.devinedesign.net/small-business-saturday-orange-county-ny/feed/0Website Content: Keep It Fresh.http://www.devinedesign.net/website-content-keep-fresh/
http://www.devinedesign.net/website-content-keep-fresh/#commentsSun, 02 Nov 2014 22:52:25 +0000http://www.devinedesign.net/website-graphic-design/?p=22458Imagine going to The New York Times website on Monday. The news is interesting and relevant. Then, on Thursday, you visit again. Both days, the news articles are exactly the same. Weird, right?

You pass Lord and Taylor's windows. They are interesting and cool. Next week, they are exactly the same. The week after.. no change. Practically useless, right?

Imagine going to The New York Times website on Monday. The news is interesting and relevant. Then, on Thursday, you visit again. Both days, the news articles are exactly the same. Weird, right?

You pass Lord and Taylor’s windows. They are interesting and cool. Next week, they are exactly the same. The week after… no change. Soon, you’re going to stop looking at the windows. Bad move, right?

It’s the same for websites. If visitors aren’t finding new and/ or interesting content, why come back… ever?

The same rule applies for search engines. If you aren’t constantly pinging search engines with new content, there’s no reason for the bots to crawl your site and rank your webpages higher than those of your competitors.

You MUST update and publish your content frequently to help search engines find your pages more readily, potentially resulting in higher rankings and increased viewership.

Blog Posts
Your blog is a great place to start. Create short, digestible, shareable pieces of content for your blog that ping the search engines.

Social Media Feed
A live social media feed on your website allows your site to constantly speak with search engines. By having new tweets or Facebook posts consistently updating on your homepage or relevant webpage, search engines will understand the new, valuable information that you’re putting out and will likely want to crawl to your site.

Press
A press section is another good way to post fresh content. Updating your site with content about your company and employees helps consumers understand what’s happening within your business and industry. Search engines view the new pages as new content, which can also boost your page rank.

Bottom Line
The goal of all search engines is to serve customers with the most relevant information on the Web. By updating your website with fresh content, search engines and your customers will learn to value your site as a trusted source. Make it easy for the search engine to find you. Change your content. Keep if fresh. Keep it juicy!

]]>http://www.devinedesign.net/website-content-keep-fresh/feed/0WordPress Websiteshttp://www.devinedesign.net/wordpress-websites/
http://www.devinedesign.net/wordpress-websites/#commentsSat, 04 Oct 2014 19:55:52 +0000http://demo.select-themes.com/stockholm7/?p=26Why use WordPress?
WordPress, in the right hands, is the best website format. Here is why:

WordPress Websites. Why use WordPress?
WordPress, in the right hands, is the best website format. Here is why:

WordPress was first launched in 2003. At that time, it was a fairly simple Content Management System (CMS), designed for blogging purposes. Even as recently as a few years ago, many web designers thought of WordPress as a CMS best suited to blogs, and chose Joomla or Drupal for business, commercial or professional websites. This has all changed!

WordPress is capable of acting as the backbone for all kinds of websites. It’s now used by Samsung, Forbes and CNN. WordPress has retained its ability to be easy to use and update, and the features list has grown exponentially. Menu configuration and media handling are two good examples of things that have got steadily more powerful with no sacrifice to usability. Wise enhancements in new versions of WordPress are what has made the platform evolve into a great CMS for all types of websites.

WordPress is inherently SEO-friendly, giving your site the best chance of good search results. For DevineDesign.com, that’s the biggest reason to use WordPress.

Mostly, we love WordPress because updates just keep coming. While sometimes keeping on top of updates feels like a never-ending job, (just ask Don, who does most of this at DevineDesign!) it also makes for a system that’s constantly evolving and improving, with new functions being added all the time. Because it’s open source software, no single company holds the rights or the reins. This allows more choice, more flexiblity and more longevity. At NO additional cost.

WordPress is inherently SEO-friendly, giving your site the best chance of good search results. For DevineDesign.com, that’s the biggest reason to use WordPress.